CN112384441B

CN112384441B - Unmanned aerial vehicle system

Info

Publication number: CN112384441B
Application number: CN201980043859.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 和气千大; 柳下洋
Original assignee: Nileworks Inc
Current assignee: Nileworks Inc
Priority date: 2018-06-04
Filing date: 2019-06-03
Publication date: 2024-03-19
Anticipated expiration: 2039-06-03
Also published as: JP7025738B2; JPWO2019235418A1; JP2022002961A; JP2021004035A; US20210216085A1; JP2021191675A; WO2019235418A1; CN112384441A; JP6777355B2; JP7008994B2; JP7009005B2

Abstract

Provided is a highly safe unmanned plane. The manipulator (401) and the unmanned aerial vehicle (100) are connected to each other through a network and act in coordination with each other. The unmanned aerial vehicle is provided with: a flight control unit (23); a flight start instruction receiving unit (51) that receives a flight start instruction from a user (402); an unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit (53) that determines the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle itself; and an external environment determination unit (54) that determines the external environment of the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle system has a plurality of states that are different from each other and that include at least a takeoff diagnosis state (S5), and the unmanned aerial vehicle system transitions to another state by satisfying a condition, the takeoff diagnosis state including at least an unmanned aerial vehicle determination state (S51) in which the unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit determines the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle itself, and an external environment determination state (S53) in which the external environment determination unit determines the external environment, and the unmanned aerial vehicle system transitions to the takeoff diagnosis state and causes the unmanned aerial vehicle to take off when receiving a flight start command.

Description

Unmanned aerial vehicle system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle system and an aircraft (unmanned aerial vehicle), and more particularly, to an unmanned aerial vehicle for improving safety, a control method for the unmanned aerial vehicle system, and an unmanned aerial vehicle system control program.

Background

The use of small unmanned helicopters (multi-rotor helicopters), commonly referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles, is advancing. One of the important application fields is to apply a chemical such as a pesticide or a liquid fertilizer to a farmland (farm) (for example, patent document 1). In japan where farmlands are narrow, unmanned aerial vehicles are suitable for use instead of manned aircraft or helicopters, as compared with europe and america.

The absolute position of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be accurately known in cm units in flight by using technologies such as a quasi zenith satellite system or an RTK-GPS (Real Time Kinematic-Global Positioning System), so that the unmanned aerial vehicle can fly autonomously with minimum manipulation by a human hand even in a farmland with a typical narrow and complicated terrain in japan, and can perform drug scattering efficiently and accurately.

On the other hand, in an autonomous flying unmanned aerial vehicle for agricultural chemical sowing, it is difficult to say that safety is considered sufficiently. Since the weight of the unmanned plane carrying the medicine is several tens of kilograms, serious consequences are likely to occur when accidents such as falling onto a person occur. In addition, in general, the operator of the unmanned aerial vehicle is not an expert, and therefore, an error prevention mechanism is required, but consideration thereof is not sufficient. Although there is a safety technology of an unmanned aerial vehicle based on human handling (for example, patent document 2), there is no technology for coping with safety problems specific to an autonomous flying unmanned aerial vehicle for agricultural drug sowing in particular.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2001-120151

Patent document 2: patent laid-open publication No. 2017-163265

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

An unmanned aerial vehicle, that is, an unmanned aerial vehicle, capable of maintaining high safety even when flying autonomously can be provided.

Means for solving the problems

In order to achieve the above object, an aspect of the present invention relates to a unmanned aerial vehicle system in which a manipulator and a unmanned aerial vehicle are connected to each other via a network and act in coordination with each other, the unmanned aerial vehicle including: a flight control unit; a flight start instruction receiving unit that receives a flight start instruction from a user; an unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit that determines whether or not a configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle itself is operating within a normal range; and an external environment determination unit configured to determine whether or not an external environment of the unmanned aerial vehicle is suitable for flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle system has a plurality of states different from each other and including at least a takeoff diagnosis state, and the unmanned aerial vehicle system transitions to another state corresponding to the condition by satisfying a condition determined for each of the states, wherein the takeoff diagnosis state includes at least an unmanned aerial vehicle determination state in which the unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit determines a configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle itself and an external environment determination state in which the external environment determination unit determines the external environment, and wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle system transitions to the takeoff diagnosis state and then causes the unmanned aerial vehicle to take off when receiving the flight start command.

The configuration determined by the unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit may include at least one of a battery, a motor, and a sensor.

The external environment of the unmanned aerial vehicle may include at least one of external interference that is an obstacle to radio waves that connect the unmanned aerial vehicle and the manipulator, reception sensitivity of GPS, air temperature, wind speed around the unmanned aerial vehicle, weather, and geomagnetic conditions.

Further, the unmanned aerial vehicle may be configured to remain on standby while being landed when the external environment determination unit determines that the external environment is not suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

In addition, the unmanned aerial vehicle system may be configured to confirm the power supply capacity of the manipulator in the takeoff diagnosis state, and report the power supply capacity of the manipulator when the power supply capacity is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

The unmanned aerial vehicle system may further include an emergency manipulator for transmitting an emergency stop command to the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the unmanned aerial vehicle system may be configured to confirm a power supply capacity of the emergency manipulator in the takeoff diagnosis state and report the power supply capacity of the emergency manipulator when the power supply capacity is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

Further, the unmanned aerial vehicle system may be configured to transition to the unmanned aerial vehicle determination state when the flight start command is received, transition to the external environment determination state when the unmanned aerial vehicle determination state determines that the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle itself is in a normal range, and start the take-off operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the external environment determination state determines that the external environment is suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

The unmanned aerial vehicle may further include a flight plan storage unit that stores information related to a flight plan of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the plurality of states may further include a flight plan confirmation state that confirms the information related to the flight plan stored in the flight plan storage unit.

Further, the unmanned aerial vehicle system may be configured to transition to the unmanned aerial vehicle determination state when the flight start command is received, transition to the flight plan confirmation state when the unmanned aerial vehicle determination state determines that the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle itself is within a normal range, transition to the external environment determination state when the flight plan confirmation state determines that the flight plan is stored in the flight plan storage unit, and start the take-off operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the external environment determination state determines that the external environment is suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

The unmanned aerial vehicle may further include a flight preparation unit that operates during hovering of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the plurality of states may further include a hovering state in which the flight preparation unit diagnoses a status of the unmanned aerial vehicle during hovering.

In the hovering state, at least one of a wind speed around the unmanned aerial vehicle and a thrust of a propeller provided in the unmanned aerial vehicle may be diagnosed.

The flight preparation unit may be configured to have a correction unit that performs correction of at least one of a sensor for measuring the height of the unmanned aerial vehicle and a sensor for measuring the height of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the correction unit may perform the correction in the hovering state.

Further, the flight preparation unit may include a weight estimation unit that estimates the weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the weight estimation unit may estimate the weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the hovering state.

Further, the unmanned aerial vehicle system may be configured to start a flight accompanying a horizontal movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle after the transition to the hovering state.

In addition, the unmanned aerial vehicle may be configured such that at least one of the following components is included: a base station position confirmation unit that confirms the positions of base stations that are connected to each other through a network and that operate in coordination with each other; an engine body position confirmation unit that confirms a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle; a head confirmation unit that confirms the orientation of the head of the unmanned aerial vehicle; a surrounding confirmation unit that confirms whether or not there is an obstacle around the unmanned plane; and a visual body confirmation unit for prompting a user to visually confirm whether or not the unmanned aerial vehicle is abnormal.

A control method of a unmanned aerial vehicle system according to another aspect of the present invention is a control method of a unmanned aerial vehicle system in which a manipulator and a unmanned aerial vehicle are connected to each other via a network and act in coordination with each other, the unmanned aerial vehicle including: a flight control unit; a flight start instruction receiving unit that receives a flight start instruction from a user; an unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit that determines whether or not a configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle itself is operating within a normal range; and an external environment determination unit that determines whether or not the external environment of the unmanned aerial vehicle is suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle system having a plurality of states different from each other including at least a takeoff diagnosis state, the unmanned aerial vehicle system transitioning to another state corresponding to the condition by satisfying a condition determined for each of the states, the takeoff diagnosis state including at least an unmanned aerial vehicle determination state in which the unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit determines the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle itself and an external environment determination state in which the external environment determination unit determines the external environment, the control method of the unmanned aerial vehicle system including the steps of: the method includes the steps of receiving the flight start command, transitioning to the takeoff diagnostic state based on the flight start command, and causing the drone to take off after transitioning to the takeoff diagnostic state.

A control program of an unmanned aerial vehicle system according to another aspect of the present invention is a control program of an unmanned aerial vehicle system in which a manipulator and an unmanned aerial vehicle are connected to each other via a network and act in coordination with each other, the unmanned aerial vehicle including: a flight control unit; a flight start instruction receiving unit that receives a flight start instruction from a user; an unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit that determines whether or not a configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle itself is operating within a normal range; and an external environment determination unit that determines whether or not the external environment of the unmanned aerial vehicle is suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle system having a plurality of states different from each other including at least a takeoff diagnosis state, the unmanned aerial vehicle system transitioning to another state corresponding to the condition by satisfying a condition determined for each of the states, the takeoff diagnosis state including at least an unmanned aerial vehicle determination state in which the unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit determines the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle itself and an external environment determination state in which the external environment determination unit determines the external environment, the control program of the unmanned aerial vehicle causing a computer to execute: a command to receive the start of flight command, a command to transition to the takeoff diagnostic state based on the start of flight command, and a command to take off the drone after transitioning to the takeoff diagnostic state.

Effects of the invention

Provided is an unmanned aerial vehicle (unmanned aerial vehicle) capable of maintaining high safety even when flying autonomously.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a unmanned aerial vehicle constituting the unmanned aerial vehicle system according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the above-described drone.

Fig. 3 is a right side view of the above-described drone.

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the drone described above.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Fig. 6 is an overall conceptual diagram of the unmanned aerial vehicle system.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the control function of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of the drug dispensing system of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Fig. 9 is a functional block diagram showing functional units related to state transition, which are components of the unmanned aerial vehicle system, that is, the unmanned aerial vehicle, the manipulator, the base station, and the attendant support cloud.

Fig. 10 is a detailed functional block diagram of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Fig. 11 is a schematic state transition diagram showing a plurality of states of the above-described unmanned aerial vehicle system transition.

Fig. 12 is a schematic state transition diagram related to the drug replenishment, which is a transition of the unmanned aerial vehicle system.

Fig. 13 is a schematic state transition diagram relating to the takeoff diagnosis of the unmanned aerial vehicle system transition.

Fig. 14 is a schematic state transition diagram of the unmanned aerial vehicle system transition, which relates to shutdown of the unmanned aerial vehicle system.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings are illustrative. In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. However, embodiments are not limited to these specific details. In addition, well-known constructions and devices are schematically shown for the sake of simplifying the drawings.

Fig. 6 is a conceptual diagram of the whole system of an example of the application of the drug scattering using the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 according to the present invention. The figure is a schematic diagram, and the scale is inaccurate. As shown in fig. 6 and 9, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 is a system in which the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the manipulator 401, the base station 404, and the farming support cloud 405 are connected to each other via a Network (NW) and operate in coordination with each other. The unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 may be configured such that all the components are directly connected to each other, or each component is directly connected to at least one component and indirectly connected to other components via the directly connected component.

The manipulator 401 is a unit for transmitting an instruction to the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 by an operation of the user 402 and displaying information (for example, a position, a medicine amount, a remaining battery amount, a camera image, and the like) received from the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, and can be implemented by a portable information device such as a general tablet terminal running a computer program. The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 according to the present invention is preferably controlled to fly autonomously, but is preferably manually operable during basic operations such as take-off and return, and during emergency. In addition to the portable information device, an emergency manipulator having a function dedicated to emergency stop (the emergency manipulator is preferably a dedicated device having a large emergency stop button or the like so that the emergency manipulator can quickly take a response in an emergency) may be used. The manipulator 401 and the unmanned plane 100 preferably perform wireless communication based on Wi-Fi or the like.

Farm 403 is a farmland, a field, or the like, to which the chemical of unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is to be spread. In practice, the topography of the farm 403 is complex, and a topography map cannot be obtained in advance or a topography map is different from a situation on site. Typically, farm 403 is adjacent to a house, hospital, school, other crop farm, road, railroad, or the like. In addition, there are also some cases where there is an obstacle such as a building or an electric wire in the farm 403.

The base station 404 is a device that provides a master function of Wi-Fi communication, and the like, and also functions as an RTK-GPS base station, and preferably can provide an accurate position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 (the device may be a device in which the master function of Wi-Fi communication is independent of the RTK-GPS base station). The attendant support cloud 405 is a set of computers and related software typically operating on cloud services, preferably wirelessly connected to the manipulator 401 via a mobile phone line or the like. The farming support cloud 405 can perform processing for analyzing the image of the farm 403 captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, grasping the growth condition of the crop, and determining the flight path. Further, the stored topography information of the farm 403 and the like may be provided to the unmanned plane 100. Further, the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and the history of the captured images may be accumulated and various analysis processes may be performed.

In general, the drone 100 takes off from a departure arrival location 406 located outside of the farm 403 and returns to the departure arrival location 406 after the farm 403 is sprayed with a pharmaceutical or when replenishment of pharmaceutical or charging is required. The flight path (entrance path) from the departure/arrival point 406 to the destination farm 403 may be stored in advance by the attendant support cloud 405 or the like, or may be input by the user 402 before the start of departure.

Fig. 1 shows a top view of an embodiment of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, fig. 2 shows a front view thereof (seen from the traveling direction side), fig. 3 shows a right side view thereof, fig. 4 shows a rear view, and fig. 5 shows a perspective view. In the present specification, the unmanned aerial vehicle refers to all of the aircraft having a plurality of rotor wings or flight units irrespective of a power unit (electric power, prime mover, etc.), a steering system (whether wireless or wired, and whether autonomous flight type or manual steering type, etc.).

The rotary wings 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101-2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, and 101-4b (also referred to as rotors) are means for flying the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, and 8 (4 sets of rotary wings of 2-stage configuration) are preferable in view of balance of flying stability, body size, and battery consumption.

The motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 102-4a, 102-4b are means (typically, motors, but may be engines or the like) for rotating the rotary wings 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101-2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b, and preferably 1 motor is provided for one rotary wing. For stability of flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, etc., it is preferable that the axes of the upper and lower rotary wings (e.g., 101-1a and 101-1 b) and the motors (e.g., 102-1a and 102-1 b) corresponding thereto within 1 set are located on the same straight line and rotate in opposite directions to each other. Although not shown, the positions of the rotary wing 101-3b and the motor 102-3b are self-explanatory, and if left side view is provided, the rotary wing is in the illustrated position. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the radial member for supporting the propeller guard provided so that the rotor does not interfere with foreign matter is preferably not a horizontal but a structure on the tower. This is to prevent interference with the rotor by urging the member to buckle to the outside of the rotor wing at the time of collision.

The medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 are means for dispensing medicines downward, and preferably have 4 medicine nozzles. In the present specification, the term "chemical" generally refers to a liquid or powder for agricultural chemical, herbicide, liquid fertilizer, insecticide, seed, water, etc. to be spread on a farm.

The medicine tank 104 is a tank for storing the medicine to be spread, and is preferably provided at a position close to the center of gravity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and at a position lower than the center of gravity from the viewpoint of weight balance. The medicine hoses 105-1, 105-2, 105-3, and 105-4 are units for connecting the medicine tank 104 to the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4, and may be made of a hard material, or may also have the function of supporting the medicine nozzles. The pump 106 is a unit for ejecting the medicine from the nozzle.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 spreads the medicine stored in the medicine tank 104 downward from the air toward the farm. According to the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 that performs aerial seeding, the chemical can be densely applied to the farm as compared with the case where the chemical is applied from the ground by the ground seeding machine or the user himself. Therefore, the area on the farm is not repeatedly spread as in the case of spreading from the ground, and uniform spreading can be performed. Therefore, the medicine stored in the medicine tank 104 is a medicine having a higher concentration than the medicine scattered from the ground, for example, about 10 times.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a control function of an embodiment of the drug dispensing unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention. The flight controller 501 is a component responsible for controlling the entire unmanned aerial vehicle, and may be specifically an embedded computer including a CPU, a memory, related software, and the like. The flight controller 501 controls the rotational speeds of the motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 104-a, 104-b by a control unit such as an ESC (Electronic Speed Control ) based on input information received from the manipulator 401 and input information obtained from various sensors described later, thereby controlling the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. The actual rotational speeds of the motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 104-a, 104-b are preferably fed back to the flight controller 501 and can monitor whether or not normal rotation has been performed. Alternatively, an optical sensor or the like may be provided to the rotary wing 101, and the rotation of the rotary wing 101 may be fed back to the flight controller 501.

The software used by the flight controller 501 is preferably rewritable by a storage medium or the like or by a communication means such as Wi-Fi communication or USB for the purpose of function expansion, change, problem correction, or the like. In this case, it is preferable to perform protection by encryption, checksum, electronic signature, virus detection software, and the like so as not to rewrite by unauthorized software. A part of the calculation processing used in the control by the flight controller 501 may be executed by another computer present on the manipulator 401 or on the service support cloud 405 at another location. Since the importance of the flight controller 501 is high, some or all of its constituent elements may be duplicated.

The battery 502 is a unit for supplying electric power to the flight controller 501 and other components of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and is preferably rechargeable. The battery 502 is preferably connected to the flight controller 501 via a power supply assembly including a fuse or circuit breaker or the like. The battery 502 is preferably an intelligent battery having a function of transmitting the internal state (the stored electricity amount, the accumulated use time, etc.) to the flight controller 501 in addition to the electric power supply function.

The flight controller 501 can exchange information with the manipulator 401 via the Wi-Fi handset function 503, further via the base station 404, receive necessary instructions from the manipulator 401, and transmit necessary information to the manipulator 401. In this case, it is preferable to encrypt the communication, so that improper actions such as interception, impersonation, and theft of the device can be prevented. The preferred base station 404 has the function of an RTK-GPS base station in addition to Wi-Fi based communication functions. By combining the signals of the RTK base station with the signals from the GPS positioning satellites, the absolute position of the drone 100 can be determined with accuracy of the order of a few centimeters by the GPS module 504. Since the importance of the GPS module 504 is high, it is preferable to double/multiplex the GPS module, and in order to cope with a failure of a specific GPS satellite, it is preferable to control each GPS module 504 that is redundant so as to use another satellite.

The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is a unit for measuring accelerations in 3 directions orthogonal to each other in the unmanned aerial vehicle body (further, a unit for calculating a velocity by integrating the accelerations). The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is a unit for measuring angular velocity, which is a change in the attitude angle of the unmanned aerial vehicle body in the 3 directions. The magnetic sensor 506 is a unit for measuring the direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle body by measuring geomagnetism. The air pressure sensor 507 is a unit for measuring air pressure, and can also indirectly measure the height of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The laser sensor 508 is a unit for measuring the distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle body and the ground surface by using reflection of laser light, and preferably uses IR (infrared) laser light. The sonar 509 is a means for measuring the distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle body and the ground by reflection of an acoustic wave such as an ultrasonic wave. A gyro sensor (angular velocity sensor) for measuring the inclination of the body, a wind sensor for measuring the wind force, and the like may be added. In addition, these sensors are preferably doubled or multiplexed. In the case where there are multiple sensors for the same purpose, the flight controller 501 may use only one of them and switch to an alternative sensor for use when it fails. Alternatively, a plurality of sensors may be used simultaneously, and if the measurement results of the sensors are not identical, it is considered that a failure has occurred.

The flow rate sensor 510 is a means for measuring the flow rate of the medicine, and is preferably provided at a plurality of places along the path from the medicine tank 104 to the medicine nozzle 103. The insufficient liquid sensor 511 is a sensor that detects that the amount of the chemical is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. The multispectral camera 512 is a unit that photographs the farm 403 and acquires data for image analysis. The obstacle detection camera 513 is a camera for detecting an obstacle of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and is preferably a device different from the multispectral camera 512 because the image characteristics and the orientation of the lens are different from the multispectral camera 512. The switch 514 is a unit for various settings by the user 402 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. The obstacle contact sensor 515 is a sensor for detecting that the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, particularly, a rotor and a propeller guard portion thereof, is in contact with an obstacle such as an electric wire, a building, a human body, a tree, a bird, or other unmanned aerial vehicle. The lid sensor 516 is a sensor that detects that the operation panel of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and the lid for internal maintenance are in an open state. The medicine injection port sensor 517 is a sensor that detects that the injection port of the medicine tank 104 is open. These sensors may be selected according to the cost target and performance requirements of the unmanned aerial vehicle, or may be doubled or multiplexed. Further, a sensor may be provided at a base station 404, a manipulator 401, or other places outside the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, and the read information may be transmitted to the unmanned aerial vehicle. For example, a wind sensor may be provided at the base station 404, and information about wind force/direction may be transmitted to the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 via Wi-Fi communication.

The flight controller 501 transmits a control signal to the pump 106, and adjusts the amount of the chemical discharged and stops the chemical discharge. Preferably, the current time point of the pump 106 (for example, the rotation speed or the like) is fed back to the flight controller 501.

The LED107 is a display unit for notifying the operator of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the status of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Instead of LEDs, or in addition to LEDs, display units such as liquid crystal displays may be used. The buzzer 518 is an output unit for informing the status of the unmanned aerial vehicle (particularly, an error status) by a sound signal. The Wi-Fi slave function 519 is an optional component for communicating with an external computer or the like for software transfer or the like, unlike the manipulator 401. Instead of or in addition to the Wi-Fi function, other wireless communication means such as infrared communication, bluetooth (registered trademark), zigBee (registered trademark), NFC, and the like, or wired communication means such as a USB connection may be used. The speaker 520 is an output unit for notifying the status (particularly, error status) of the unmanned aerial vehicle by recorded voice, synthesized voice, or the like. Depending on the weather conditions, it is sometimes difficult to see the visual display of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 in flight, so in such cases, the sound-based condition transfer is effective. The warning lamp 521 is a display unit such as a flash lamp for notifying the status (particularly, error status) of the unmanned aerial vehicle. These input/output units may be selected according to the cost target and performance requirements of the unmanned aerial vehicle, or may be doubled or multiplexed.

As shown in fig. 8, the chemical discharge control system provided in the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is provided in an agricultural machine for dispensing chemical, and particularly in the present embodiment, is provided in the chemical dispensing unmanned aerial vehicle 100, and is configured to control the discharge of chemical with high accuracy and detect abnormal discharge of chemical.

In the present embodiment, the "abnormal ejection" of the medicine includes, in addition to a state in which the medicine is actually abnormal and the medicine is ejected exceeding a predetermined value, a preparation state in which the medicine is abnormal, a state in which the medicine is actually scattered, or a setting abnormality in which the medicine is different from a predetermined one may be scattered.

As described above, the medicine tank 104 is a tank for storing the medicine to be spread.

An openable and closable cover for filling the medicine or taking out the stored medicine is attached to the medicine tank 104. An open/close sensor 104a capable of detecting an open/close state is attached to the openable/closable cover. The opening/closing sensor 104a is constituted by, for example, a magnet attached to the cover and a sensor attached to the main body and sensing the magnetic force and contact of the magnet. This allows the user to recognize the open/close state of the cover, and can prevent the medicine from being scattered while the cover is kept open.

The medicine tank 104 is provided with a medicine type discriminating sensor 104b. The medicine type determining sensor 104b can determine the type of medicine remaining in the medicine tank 104.

The medicine type determining sensor 104b is configured by, for example, a device capable of measuring the viscosity, conductivity, or pH of the medicine in the medicine tank 104, and can determine the type of the medicine by comparing the measured value of each item with a value as a reference for each medicine.

Further, for example, if a cartridge type medicine tank is used as the medicine tank 104, the type of medicine may be determined by attaching an IC or the like that records data of the type of medicine to the cartridge type medicine tank in advance and providing a unit for acquiring the data of the type of medicine from the IC or the like.

Here, since a plurality of medicines may be used, it is useful to determine whether or not a medicine to be spread is stored in the medicine tank 104. In particular, the particle size of the medicine varies depending on the type, and when the medicine having a smaller particle size than the medicine to be spread is erroneously spread, the possibility of causing drift (scattering or adhesion of the medicine to the outside of the target object) is high and cannot be ignored.

In addition, an insufficient liquid sensor 511 for detecting an insufficient liquid of the medicine is mounted to the medicine tank 104. In addition to the case where the medicine is used up, the shortage of the medicine includes a case where the amount of the medicine is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, and the shortage of the medicine can be detected from an arbitrarily set amount.

The medicine tank 104 may be provided with a function of detecting the chemical vapor in the medicine tank 104, a function of measuring the temperature and humidity, and the like, and the medicine may be controlled to be in an appropriate state.

The pump 106 discharges the medicine stored in the medicine tank 104 downstream, and sends the medicine to the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 via the medicine hoses 105-1, 105-2, 105-3, and 105-4.

In the description of the present embodiment, when the medicine is delivered from the medicine tank 104 to the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4, the direction along which the medicine is delivered along the delivery path is sometimes referred to as the downstream direction, and the opposite direction is sometimes referred to as the upstream direction. Further, although a part of the medicine is again sent from the medicine tank 104 to the medicine tank 104 via the three-way valve 122, the three-way valve 122 side is referred to as a downstream direction and the medicine tank 104 side is referred to as an upstream direction for this path.

The expansion tank 131 is a tank for temporarily storing the medicine sent out from the three-way valve 122 and returning it to the medicine tank 104.

The path from the three-way valve 122 to the medicine tank 104 via the expansion tank 131 is a path for removing (deaerating) water injected into the medicine tank 104 or bubbles in the medicine. By circulating this path and temporarily storing it in the expansion tank 131, the defoaming of water or a chemical can be performed.

The check valves 121-1, 121-2, 121-3, 121-4, 121-5, 121-6, 121-7 are valves for delivering the medicine in only a constant direction and preventing the medicine from flowing in the direction opposite to the constant direction, that is, from flowing in the reverse direction. The check valves 121-1, 121-2, 121-3, 121-4, 121-5, 121-6, 121-7 function as blocking means for blocking the discharge of the medicine in the path from the medicine tank 104 to the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, and if the function is possible, other means such as a solenoid valve may be used as blocking means.

In this example, a check valve 121-1 is provided between the medicine tank 104 and the pump 106 and in the vicinity of the medicine ejection port provided in the medicine tank 104, a check valve 121-2 is provided between the three-way valve 122 and the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, check valves 121-4, 121-5, 121-6, 121-7 are provided at the medicine ejection ports 103a-1, 103a-2, 103a-3, 103a-4 to the outside, and a check valve 121-3 is provided between the three-way valve 122 and the expansion tank 131. The check valve 121-1 controls the medicine delivered from the medicine tank 104 to be delivered in the downstream direction so as not to flow back to the medicine tank 104. The check valve 121-2 also controls the medicine fed from the pump 106 to be fed in the downstream direction so as not to flow back to the pump 106. The check valve 121-3 also controls the medicine sent from the three-way valve 122 to be sent in the upstream direction of the expansion tank 131 so as not to flow back to the three-way valve 122. Further, the check valves 121-4, 121-5, 121-6, 121-7 can block the discharge of the chemical from the discharge ports 103a-1, 103a-2, 103a-3, 103a-4 to the outside.

The check valves 121-1, 121-2, 121-3, 121-4, 121-5, 121-6, 121-7 may be any of various types of check valves such as swing type, lift type, and wafer type, and are not particularly limited to specific ones. Further, the present invention is not limited to this example, and a larger number of check valves than this example may be provided at appropriate positions.

The three-way valve 122 is provided between the pump 106 and the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, and forms a branch point between a path from the pump 106 to the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4 and a path from the pump 106 to the medicine tank 104 via the expansion tank 131, and sends out the medicine to each path according to a switching operation. The three-way valve 122 is, for example, a three-way solenoid valve.

Here, the path from the pump 106 to the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 is a path for ejecting medicine from the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 and scattering the medicine.

In addition, as described above, the path from the pump 106 to the medicine tank 104 via the expansion tank 131 is a path for removing (deaerating) bubbles in the medicine.

The flow sensor 510 is provided between the pump 106 and the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4, and measures the flow rate of the medicine to be delivered to the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4. Based on the flow rate of the chemical measured by the flow rate sensor 510, the amount of the chemical sprayed on the farm 403 can be grasped.

The pressure sensors 111-1 and 111-2 are provided at the discharge ports of the medicines, and measure the discharge pressures of the medicines discharged from the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 to the outside.

The pressure sensors 111-1 and 111-2 are provided downstream of the pump 106, and measure the discharge pressure of the medicine discharged downstream.

By measuring the discharge pressure of the chemical by these pressure sensors 111-1, 111-2, it is possible to accurately grasp the discharge condition of the chemical and determine abnormal discharge such as excessive discharge of the chemical or control discharge of the chemical based on the discharge pressure of the chemical obtained from each pressure sensor 111-1, 111-2 and/or the value of the pressure loss obtained from the measured value of each pressure sensor 111-1, 111-2.

The pump sensor 106a measures the rotational speed of a rotor that sucks the medicine from the medicine tank 104 in the pump 106 and ejects the medicine downstream.

By measuring the rotational speed of the rotary member of the pump 106 with the pump sensor 106a, the amount of the chemical delivered from the pump 106 can be grasped, and ejection abnormality such as excessive ejection of the chemical can be determined or ejection of the chemical can be controlled.

The nozzle type determination sensors 114-1, 114-2, 114-3, 114-4 can determine the type of the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4 attached to the medicine ejection ports.

The medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4 generally differ depending on the medicine used, due to the difference in particle size of each medicine to be spread. Therefore, by determining whether the types of the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 are appropriate, erroneous medicine dispensing can be prevented.

Specifically, for example, a mechanism for fitting or engaging with the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 is provided in advance in the ejection port, and a mechanism for fitting or engaging with the fitting or engaging mechanism on the ejection port side, that is, a mechanism having a shape different for each of the plural medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 is provided in the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4. When the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 are mounted on the ejection port, the type of the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 can be discriminated by recognizing the shape different for each of the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4.

Further, a tap-equipped discharge port (referred to as a "discharge port" in fig. 8) for discharging the medicine remaining in the path from the medicine tank 104 to the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4 is provided in the middle of the path. After the completion of the medicine dispensing onto the farm 403, the medicine can be discharged from the discharge port when the medicine accumulated in the paths from the medicine tank 104 to the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 is discharged.

In addition, water is injected into the medicine tank 104 during the process of replenishing the medicine tank 104, particularly in a water injection standby state (S31) and an exhaust standby state (S32) described later. Even when water enters the medicine tank 104, the sensors of the medicine ejection system, that is, the liquid shortage sensor 511, the pressure sensors 511-1, 511-2, and the flow sensor 510 operate similarly. The medicine type determination sensor 104b can determine that water has entered the medicine tank 104.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the manipulator 401, the base station 404, and the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 in which the farming support cloud 405 are connected to each other and operate cooperatively are preferably capable of maintaining the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 and smoothly continuing to operate as the unmanned aerial vehicle system even when the connection between any one of the components and the other components is cut off or the power supply to any one of the components is disconnected.

In order for the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 to safely start flying, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 itself, the external environment of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, and the like need to be in a condition suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 to fly. In the case where the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 itself and the external environment or the like are not suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 is preferably a system that does not allow the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100.

The drone system 500 has multiple states that are different from each other. When the condition specified for each state is satisfied, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 transitions to another state corresponding to the condition. The term "state of the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500" means a concept that conditions for transition to other states are different from each other, and may be configured independently of each other in terms of the system configuration of software for each state, or may be configured in the same system configuration in a plurality of states. When the system belongs to a certain state, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 performs an operation specified for each state. In the case where the condition determined for each state is not satisfied, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 remains in that state. In addition, there may be a plurality of specific conditions, and there may be states that can be shifted to a plurality of states.

In the event of an abnormality in any one of the drone 100, the manipulator 401, the base station 404, and the attendant support cloud 405, the security of the drone system 500 as a whole may be compromised. By accurately determining the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 and prescribing the operation based on the determination, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is not flown or the chemical is not sprayed when the condition is not satisfied. That is, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 can be safely operated. In particular, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 can be safely flown and the chemical can be spread.

● Configuration for performing state transition of unmanned aerial vehicle system

As shown in fig. 9, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 includes a first state transmitting unit 111, a first state receiving unit 112, a first state transition determining unit 113, a first master terminal determining unit 114, and a first state storing unit 115. The manipulator 401, the base station 404, and the farming support cloud 405 have configurations corresponding to the first state transmitting unit 111, the first state receiving unit 112, the first state transition determining unit 113, the first master terminal determining unit 114, and the first state storage unit 115, respectively. That is, the manipulator 401 includes a second state transmitting unit 411, a second state receiving unit 412, a second state transition determining unit 413, a second master terminal determining unit 414, and a second state storage unit 415. The base station 404 includes a third status transmitting unit 441, a third status receiving unit 442, a third status receiving unit 443, a third master terminal determining unit 444, and a third status storing unit 445. The farming support cloud 405 includes a fourth state transmitting unit 451, a fourth state receiving unit 452, a fourth state transition determining unit 453, a fourth master terminal determining unit 454, and a fourth state storage unit 455.

The first to fourth status transmitting units 111, 411, 441, 451 are functional units that transmit information on the current status of the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 and terminal information indicating the status of each terminal of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the manipulator 401, and the base station 404 to other components connected thereto. Here, other components are the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the manipulator 401, the base station 404, or the farming support cloud 405. The terminal information is, for example, a numerical value indicating on/off information of the power supplies of the unmanned plane 100, the manipulator 401, and the base station 404, the power supply capacities of the respective power supplies, and the like. The terminal information may include a connection state between each component, an operation history and maintenance history of each component, failure information of each component, information about whether or not an emergency stop is being executed, a history of the emergency stop being executed, and a type, amount, injection history, and the like of water or a medicine injected into the medicine tank 104.

The first to fourth status transmitting units 111, 411, 441, 451 may transmit information indicating the status of the service farmer support cloud 405 to other components. The cloud information may include, for example, a history of updated information stored in the service support cloud 405, that is, a last update date and time, information of the updated terminal, and the like.

The first to fourth state receiving units 112, 412, 442, 452 are functional units that receive information on the current state of the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 and terminal information indicating the states of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the manipulator 401, and the base station 404 from the first to fourth state transmitting units 111, 411, 441, 451 included in the other connected components. The first to fourth state receiving units 112, 412, 442, 452 may also receive cloud information from other components.

That is, the base station 404 transmits the state to which the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 currently belongs to at least one of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and the manipulator 401. In addition, the base station 404 receives the state to which the drone system 500 currently belongs from at least one of the drone 100 and the manipulator 401. The base station 404 receives at least one connection state among the connection state of the manipulator 401 and the base station 404, the connection state of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and the base station 404, and the connection state of the manipulator 401 and the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 from at least one of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and the manipulator 401.

The base station 404 may transmit and receive a connection state between each component and the attendant support cloud 405 with at least one other component.

The first to fourth state transmitting units 111, 411, 441, 451 and the first to fourth state receiving units 112, 412, 442, 452 can grasp terminal information and cloud information of other components connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500. That is, even when any of the components is out of cooperation, each component can maintain the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 and smoothly continue to operate as the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500.

Further, according to the configuration in which the manipulator 401 always grasps the terminal information and the cloud information, the user 402 can always grasp the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500.

The first to fourth state transition determination units 113, 413, 443, 453 are functional units that identify a state to which the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 currently belongs and determine whether or not a condition for transition from the currently belonging state to another state is satisfied. The first to fourth state transition determination units 113, 413, 443, 453 can perform determination regarding the same condition, and each state transition determination unit can operate as a substitute for the other state transition determination unit.

The first to fourth state transition determination units 113, 413, 443, 453 alternatively determine whether or not conditions for transition to other states are satisfied. That is, when one state transition determination unit determines that the other state transition determination unit does not determine that the other state transition determination unit. In the following description, a component having a state transition determination unit that determines a state transition is also referred to as a "master terminal". According to this configuration, even when the connection between any of the components is disconnected and the operation as the master terminal is not possible when the power of any of the components is disconnected, the other components can be determined as the master terminal to switch the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500.

The first to fourth main terminal determining units 114, 414, 444, 454 are functional units that determine which component is to be the main terminal based on the information received by the first to fourth state receiving units 112, 412, 442, 452. The priority is determined in advance as to which component is the master terminal, that is, which of the first to fourth state transition determination units 111, 411, 441, 451 determines the state transition. Specifically, when the power supply of each component is energized, and all the components cooperate, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 becomes a master terminal. When the power of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is disconnected or the connection with each component of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is disconnected and the operation as the master terminal is not possible, the manipulator 401 becomes the master terminal by the determination of the first to fourth master terminal determining units 114, 414, 444, 454. In addition, the priority is an example, and when the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 cannot operate as the master terminal, the base station 404 or the farming support cloud 405 may be the master terminal. The priority may be fixed or variable. For example, the priority may vary depending on the state to which the drone system 500 is currently attached.

In the present embodiment, the main terminal determining unit is provided for each component. According to this configuration, even when any of the components is disconnected from the cooperation, the master terminal can be determined. In the case where all the components operate cooperatively, any one of the main terminal determining units may be capable of determining the main terminal, for example, the first main terminal determining unit 114 provided in the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may be capable of determining that the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is the main terminal. When the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is out of cooperation, the second master terminal determining unit 414 determines to cause the manipulator 401 to be the master terminal based on the information to that effect.

The first to fourth state storage units 115, 415, 445, 455 are functional units that store terminal information indicating the state to which the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 currently belongs and the status of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the manipulator 401, and the base station 404. The first state storage unit 115 may store cloud information indicating the status of the service farmer supporting cloud 405.

At least a part of the first to fourth state storage sections 115, 415, 445, 455 is constituted by a nonvolatile storage area such as a nonvolatile memory. According to this configuration, even if the power supply of each component is turned off, information can be stored in advance. Since the failure information and the maintenance history are maintained during the re-energization of the power supply, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 can be reliably repaired and maintained even for the failure or abnormality occurring before the power supply is turned off, and can be safely used.

● Constitution for managing injection of medicament

As shown in fig. 10, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 includes a water injection detection unit 31, an exhaust detection unit 32, and a replenishment detection unit 33 as a configuration for managing injection of a chemical into the chemical tank 104.

The water injection detection unit 31 is a functional unit that detects completion of water injection in the medicine tank 104.

The exhaust gas detection unit 32 is a functional unit that detects completion of an exhaust operation that causes air inside the medicine tank 104 to flow out of the medicine tank 104. In the case where the three-way valve 122 opens the path on the expansion tank 131 side, the exhaust gas detection unit 32 detects that the exhaust gas is completed in the path from the medicine tank 104 to the three-way valve 122 (hereinafter, also referred to as "upstream path") in fig. 6. When the three-way valve 122 opens the route on the side of the medicine nozzles 103-1 to 4, the exhaust gas detection unit 32 detects that the exhaust gas is completed in the route from the three-way valve 122 to the medicine nozzles 103-1 to 4 (hereinafter, also referred to as "downstream route") in fig. 6.

In the detection of the exhaust gas in the upstream path, the exhaust gas detection unit 32 detects that the exhaust gas operation is completed based on the rotational speed of the pump 106 detected by the pump sensor 106a and the measurement result of at least one of the pressure sensor 111-1 and the flow sensor 510. Specifically, in the downstream path, the exhaust gas detection unit 32 stores at least one of the value of the pressure sensor 111-1 and the value of the flow sensor 510 corresponding to the rotation speed of the pump 106 when the exhaust gas operation is completed, as a reference value. The exhaust gas detection unit 32 compares the actual measurement value of at least one of the reference value, the pressure, and the flow rate corresponding to the rotational speed of the pump 106. When the difference is within the predetermined value, the exhaust gas detection unit 32 detects that the exhaust operation is completed.

In the detection of the exhaust gas in the downstream path, the exhaust gas detection unit 32 detects that the exhaust gas operation is completed based on the rotational speed of the pump 106 detected by the pump sensor 106a and the measurement result of at least one of the pressure sensor 111-2 and the flow sensor 510. The exhaust gas detection unit 32 stores, as a reference value, at least one of the value of the pressure sensor 111-2 and the value of the flow sensor 510 corresponding to the rotational speed of the pump 106 when the exhaust gas operation is completed, and compares the value with the measured value to detect the completion of the exhaust gas operation. In addition, the value of the pressure sensor 111-1 may also be used for detection of exhaust gas in the downstream path.

Further, the values of the pressure sensors 111-1, 111-2 and the flow sensor 510 corresponding to the rotational speed of the pump 106 are different depending on the path through which the three-way valve 122 is opened. The exhaust gas detection unit 32 determines a reference value to be compared with the actual measurement value based on information about which path the three-way valve 122 is opened.

The replenishment detection unit 33 is a functional unit that detects completion of replenishment of the medicine in the medicine tank 104. The replenishment detection unit 33 can be realized by, for example, a determination device that detects whether or not a predetermined amount of medicine is contained in the medicine tank 104 based on the liquid level, the weight, or the like. The replenishment detection unit 33 may be a functional unit that determines that the medicine is a predetermined amount by software using a level gauge, a weight gauge, a water pressure sensor, or the like that measures the amount of the medicine in the medicine tank 104.

● Structure for take-off diagnosis

As shown in fig. 10, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 includes a flight start instruction receiving unit 51, a flight plan checking unit 52, an unmanned aerial vehicle determining unit 53, an external environment determining unit 54, a base station position checking unit 55, a body position checking unit 56, a head checking unit 57, a surrounding checking unit 58, and a body visual checking unit 59, and is configured to diagnose whether the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is safely flown before take-off and whether conditions for performing chemical dispensing are satisfactory.

The flight start instruction receiving unit 51 is a functional unit that receives a flight start instruction input from the user 402. The flight start instruction is an instruction transmitted from the manipulator 401 to the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. Since the flight start instruction is an instruction for transmitting the intention of the user 402 to the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the action of the user 402 is transmitted to the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 as a start point.

The base station position confirmation unit 55 is a functional unit for confirming whether or not the position of the base station 404 connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is within a predetermined range.

The body position confirmation unit 56 is a functional unit for confirming whether or not the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is installed at the departure/arrival point 406.

The head check unit 57 is a functional unit that checks whether or not the head of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is oriented in the normal direction. The term "normal orientation of the head" means, for example, a direction in which the head faces a farm on which the chemical is spread.

The surrounding area confirmation unit 58 is a functional unit for confirming whether or not there is an obstacle such as a person or an object within a predetermined range around the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. The surrounding area confirmation unit 58 may be a function unit that prompts the user 402 to confirm the presence or absence of an obstacle surrounding the unmanned plane 100 by, for example, a report of the unmanned plane 100, the manipulator 401, or the like, and display. After confirming the periphery of the drone 100, if there is no obstacle, the user 402 inputs that meaning. Further, the user 402 properly removes the obstacle if found. The input of the peripheral confirmation result by the user 402 may be input to the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 or may be input via the manipulator 401.

The surrounding area confirmation unit 58 may be a function unit that detects an obstacle around the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 using an appropriate camera or sensor mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, and automatically determines that there is no object in a predetermined range. The camera may be, for example, a 360-degree camera capable of photographing the periphery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 in 360 degrees, or may be constituted by a plurality of cameras capable of photographing directions different from each other. The sensor is, for example, an infrared sensor.

The body visual confirmation unit 59 is a functional unit that prompts the user 402 to visually confirm the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and allows the user 402 to input a confirmation result. The body visual confirmation unit 59 prompts the user 402 to confirm the presence or absence of an obstacle around the unmanned plane 100 by a report of the unmanned plane 100, the manipulator 401, or the like. After the user 402 visually confirms the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, if an abnormality is found, the user inputs the result. In addition, when an abnormality is found, the user 402 performs repair or the like appropriately. The input of the peripheral confirmation result by the user 402 may be input to the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 or may be input via the manipulator 401.

The visual body confirmation unit 59 may report a visual confirmation point or the like to the user 402 via the manipulator 401. Specifically, by indicating the visually confirmed point, the user 402 can effectively inspect the unmanned aerial vehicle 100.

The flight plan checking unit 52 is a functional unit that checks whether or not the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 normally holds information on the flight plan of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. The flight plan includes, for example, a location of a farm on which the chemical is spread in flight, and a route of flight in the farm. The flight plan is information registered in advance in the flight plan storage unit of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, and can be appropriately rewritten. In addition, a flight route included in the flight plan is automatically calculated based on the location of the specified farm. The flight route may be a flight route that is calculated uniquely based on the location of the farm, or may be a different flight route that is calculated for each flight plan formulation in consideration of other conditions.

The unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit 53 is a functional unit that determines that each component of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 itself operates within a normal range. The components of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 include, for example, the battery 502, the motor 102, and various sensors.

The external environment determination unit 54 is a functional unit that mainly determines whether or not the external environment of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is an environment suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. The so-called external environment includes, for example: there are external disturbances such as interference of radio waves connecting the constituent elements, reception sensitivity of GPS, air temperature, wind speed around the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, weather, and geomagnetic conditions. When the wind speed around the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is blown by the wind or the scattered chemical is scattered, and therefore it is difficult to perform an appropriate flight. In addition, in the case where precipitation such as rain or snow is present or in the case where the possibility of occurrence of precipitation within a predetermined period of time is high, it is preferable that the seeding is not performed because the precipitation causes the medicine to flow and is difficult to fix on the farm. That is, take-off may be prohibited even when there is precipitation or there is a high possibility of precipitation in a given time. Further, even when geomagnetism is disturbed, it is possible to inhibit take-off because it is an obstacle to connecting radio waves between the components. Further, the number of satellites for which GPS communication is established may be measured, and take-off may be prohibited when the number is equal to or less than a predetermined number. The given number may also be 5, for example. This is because, when the number of satellites that establish GPS communication is small, if the number of satellites that can communicate during flight is further reduced, GPS measurement may not be performed. The external environment determination unit 54 notifies the user 402 that the vehicle is waiting for any reason that the vehicle has not been started.

● Constitution for diagnosis in hover

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 further has a flight preparation portion 60, and the flight preparation portion 60 determines whether the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is in a state suitable for flight when the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 hovers. The flight preparation unit 60 performs diagnosis particularly during hovering performed immediately after the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 takes off, but may perform diagnosis during hovering performed appropriately after the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 takes off and starts flying.

The flight preparation unit 60 includes a strong wind diagnosis unit 61, a thrust diagnosis unit 62, a correction unit 63, a weight estimation unit 64, and a hover determination unit 65.

The hover determination unit 65 is a functional unit that determines whether or not the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 hovers, that is, performs hover determination. The hovering refers to a state in which, when X and Y coordinates orthogonal to each other in a horizontal plane and a Z coordinate orthogonal to an XY plane are defined, XYZ coordinates of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 do not change or swing within a narrow predetermined range. In addition, hovering is a state where there is no moving speed in either direction of XYZ directions.

The hover determination unit 65 detects that the positioning pedestal amount of the RTK-GPS has not changed in all XYZ directions, for example. Further, the hover determination unit 65 calculates the position by performing second-order integration on the measured values in the XYZ direction of the 6-axis gyro sensor 505, and detects that the position in the XYZ direction has not changed at a predetermined time. Further, the hover determination unit 65 calculates the speed by integrating the measured values in the XYZ direction of the 6-axis gyro sensor 505, and detects the speed in the XYZ direction where the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 does not have. The hover determining section 65 determines that the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is hovering by combining any one or more of the acquired values described above.

The strong wind diagnosis unit 61 is a functional unit that measures wind flowing into the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and diagnoses whether or not the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 can fly. The wind speed may be calculated by measuring the stress generated by the wind by a contact detector, or may be calculated by an anemometer such as a cup type anemometer or a windmill type anemometer, for example, for measuring the wind by the strong wind diagnosis unit 61.

In a state where the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 hovers, the strong wind diagnosis unit 61 calculates the attitude angle of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 by the 6-axis gyro sensor 505. When the air is blown to the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the attitude angle of the air is set to be forward inclined to the lower side of the wind according to the intensity of the wind. Therefore, when the attitude angle of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle, the strong wind diagnosis unit 61 determines that wind having an intensity equal to or greater than the predetermined intensity is blown onto the unmanned aerial vehicle 100.

The strong wind diagnosis unit 61 may calculate the rotational speeds of the motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 102-4a, 102-4b or the rotor blades 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101-2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4 b. When blowing air to the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, since a force to be inclined to the leeward side acts on the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the thrust of the rotary wing of the two parts of the 8 rotary wings 101 disposed on the leeward side increases, that is, the rotational speed increases, and the thrust of the rotary wing of the two parts disposed on the windward side decreases, that is, the rotational speed decreases. Therefore, when the difference in the arrangement positions of the rotational speeds of the motor 102 and the rotor 101 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the strong wind diagnosis unit 61 determines that wind of a predetermined intensity or greater is blown into the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. The strong wind diagnosis unit 61 detects strong wind by determining the posture angle and/or the difference in rotation speed, or by combining the determination results.

The strong wind diagnosis unit 61 can receive information about wind from the base station 404 and the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 flying around, and determine whether or not the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 can fly.

When the intensity of the wind blown onto the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the strong wind diagnosis unit 61 notifies the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 of the intensity. The state transition determination unit of the master terminal waits while maintaining the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 in the hovering state. The state transition determination unit of the master terminal may transition the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 to a flight start standby state (S4) described later, and land the unmanned aerial vehicle 100.

The thrust diagnostic unit 62 is a functional unit that measures the thrust for flying the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 in flight and diagnoses whether the thrust of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is functioning normally. In the present embodiment, the thrust is obtained by the rotary wing 101. The thrust diagnostic unit 62 is, for example, a rotation measurement function disposed inside the motor itself that controls the rotation of the rotor 101. That is, the thrust measuring unit 244 obtains the rotational speed of the rotor 101 controlled by the motor by measuring the rotational speed of the motor.

The thrust diagnostic unit 62 may measure the rotational speed of the rotor 101 itself. For example, the thrust diagnosis unit 62 may be a noncontact rotameter. In this case, the thrust diagnosis unit 62 irradiates laser light to at least one position of the rotor 101, and measures reflected light from the rotor 101 of the laser light to count the number of revolutions of the rotor 101. The laser is, for example, an infrared laser.

The thrust diagnosis unit 62 may measure the current supplied to the motor.

In the case where the thrust diagnosis unit 62 is realized by a configuration other than the rotor, the thrust diagnosis unit may be a function unit for measuring the operation state of the propeller. For example, in the case where the unmanned aerial vehicle is propelled by injection, the thrust diagnosis unit 62 may be a functional unit for measuring the pressure of injection.

The thrust diagnosis unit 62 compares the measured thrust with the command value of the flight controller 501, and determines that the thrust is properly exerted when the difference after a predetermined time from the start of the command from the flight controller 501 is within a predetermined threshold. When the difference exceeds the threshold value, the thrust diagnosis unit 62 notifies the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 of this. The state transition determination unit of the master terminal transitions the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 to a flight start standby state (S4), which will be described later, and lands the unmanned aerial vehicle 100.

The correction unit 63 performs correction of at least one of a sensor for measuring the height of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and a sensor for measuring the speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. The correction of the sensor includes correction of the deviation of the gain when the value of the measurement result is high, which is caused by the offset of the 0 point of the sensor. In particular, the correction by the correction unit 63 is performed when the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 hovers.

The sensor for measuring the height of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 includes, for example, a laser sensor 508, a sonar 509, a 6-axis gyro sensor 505, or GPS module RTKs 504-1 and 504-2. That is, the correction unit 63 can correct the height of the laser sensor 508, the sonar 509, the 6-axis gyro sensor 505, or the GPS module RTKs 504-1 and 504-2.

When the sensor for correction is the laser sensor 508 or the sonar 509, the correction unit 63 corrects the laser sensor 508 and the sonar 509 by using, as a true value on the ground, a difference between the Z coordinate, which is a positioning coordinate in the height direction of the RTK-GPS in the ground state, and the Z coordinate in the height direction of the RTK-GPS when it is determined that the sensor is hovering.

When the sensor to be corrected is the 6-axis gyro sensor 505, the correction unit 63 corrects the 6-axis gyro sensor 505 by using the height obtained by the laser sensor 508 and the sonar 509 when it is determined that the sensor is hovering as a true value on the ground height.

When the sensor for correction is the GPS module RTKs 504-1 and 504-2, the correction unit 63 corrects the positioning coordinates of the GPS module RTKs 504-1 and 504-2 in the Z direction of the RTK-GPS using the height obtained by the laser sensor 508 and the sonar 509 when the sensor is determined to be hovering as a true value on the ground height.

The sensor for measuring the speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle includes, for example, a GPS module doppler 504-3 or a 6-axis gyro sensor 505. The correction unit 63 measures the moving speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 using the GPS module doppler 504-3. Since the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 does not move in the hover state after the take-off, the moving speed is 0 in the XYZ direction, and therefore the correction section 63 corrects the measurement result of the GPS module doppler 504-3 so that the moving speed in the XYZ direction when it is determined that hovering is 0. The correction unit 63 also measures the moving speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 using the first-order integrated value of the measurement value of the acceleration sensor. In this case, the correction unit 63 corrects the measurement value in the XY direction of the acceleration sensor so that the movement speed in the XYZ direction when it is determined that hovering is 0.

The weight estimating unit 64 is a functional unit that estimates the weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. The weight estimating unit 64 can estimate the weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 based on the value of the thrust force measured by the thrust force diagnosing unit 62 during hovering.

● State transition for unmanned aerial vehicle system

As shown in fig. 11, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 in the present embodiment can acquire a stopped state (S0), an initial inspection state (S1), a medicine preparation standby state (S2), a medicine preparation state (S3), a flight start standby state (S4), a takeoff diagnosis state (S5), a flight spread state (S6), a post-landing standby state (S7), a maintenance state (S8), and a shutdown state (S9).

The stopped state (S0) is a state in which the power sources of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the manipulator 401, and the base station 404 are disconnected. In the stopped state (S0), when the power supply of each component is turned on, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to the initial inspection state (S1). The power sources of the respective components may be manually turned on by the user 402, or the power sources of the other components may be turned on by the user 402 operating one of the components. For example, the user 402 may turn on the power of the manipulator 401 to start a dedicated application, thereby turning on the power of the unmanned plane 100 and the base station 404.

The initial inspection state (S1) is a state in which it is confirmed whether or not the operation of each component is normally performed after the start of each component. In the initial inspection state, for example, a check is made as to whether or not each component is powered on, and a check is made as to whether or not communication between each component is performed normally. When all the confirmation items are confirmed to be normal, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to the medicine preparation standby state (S2).

The medicine preparation standby state (S2) is a state in which a medicine injection start instruction, which is an instruction to start a job of injecting medicine into the medicine tank 104 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, is waiting to be input from the user 402. Upon receiving the medicine injection start instruction input by the user 402, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to a medicine preparation state (S3).

The medicine preparation state (S3) is a state to which the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 belongs during the operation of injecting medicine into the medicine tank 104 by the user 402.

As shown in fig. 12, the medicine preparation state (S3) includes a water injection standby state (S31), an exhaust standby state (S32), and a medicine standby state (S33).

The water injection standby state (S31) is a state in which water can be injected into the medicine tank 104. The water injection standby state (S31) is a state in which the medicine preparation standby state (S2) is shifted based on a medicine injection start instruction from a user. In the water injection standby state (S31), the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 notifies the user 402 of the need to inject water into the medicine tank 104 via the manipulator 401. Further, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 can determine whether or not a sufficient amount of water is injected into the medicine tank 104 by the replenishment detection section 33. In this case, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 notifies the user through the manipulator 401 that a sufficient amount of water is injected into the medicine tank 104.

Further, the drone system 500 informs the user 402 through the manipulator 401 so that the lid of the medicament canister 104 is closed or the lock of the lid is further locked after the injection is completed. The opening and closing of the cover and the locking and unlocking of the lock may be performed automatically by a mechanism provided in the unmanned aerial vehicle 100.

In the water injection standby state (S31), when the water injection detection unit 31 detects that water is injected into the chemical tank 104, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to the exhaust standby state (S32). The unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 may transition to the exhaust standby state (S32) on condition that the lid of the medicine tank 104 is closed or further locked by an appropriate locking mechanism, with reference to the determination result of the open/close sensor 104 a.

The exhaust standby state (S32) is a state in which the pump 106 is driven to perform exhaust and the path from the inside of the medicine tank 104 and the medicine tank 104 to the medicine nozzles 103-1 to 4 is waited for to be deflated. The exhaust standby state (S32) also has an upstream exhaust standby state (S32-1) and a downstream exhaust standby state (S32-2).

In the upstream exhaust standby state (S32-1), the three-way valve 122 is opened to the expansion tank 131 side. By the driving of the pump 106, the air existing in the inside of the medicine tank 104 and in the upstream path circulates in the path and is temporarily left in the expansion tank 131 to be removed. When the exhaust detection unit 32 detects completion of the exhaust operation in the upstream path, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to the downstream exhaust standby state (S32-2).

In the downstream exhaust standby state (S32-2), the three-way valve 122 is opened to the medicine nozzles 103-1 to 4. The air mainly present in the downstream path is pushed by the water moved by the driving of the pump 106 and released from the nozzle 103 to the outside of the medicine tank 104. That is, the exhaust of the medicine tank 104 in the downstream path is performed. When the exhaust detection unit 32 detects the completion of the exhaust operation, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to the medicine standby state (S33).

Regarding the upstream exhaust standby state (S32-1) and the downstream exhaust standby state (S32-2), the state is shifted fully automatically, and there may be no condition based on the behavior of the user 402, but the state may be shifted based on the confirmation input of the user 402 by reporting from the manipulator 401 that the state is shifted from the upstream exhaust standby state (S32-1) to the downstream exhaust standby state (S32-2). In addition, when the state is fully automatically changed, the manipulator 401 may notify the user 402 of which state the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 is in.

The medicine standby state (S33) is a state in which the lock of the cap of the water injection port is released and medicine can be injected from the water injection port. In the medicine standby state (S33), the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 notifies the user 402 of the need to inject medicine into the medicine tank 104 via the manipulator 401. The unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 determines that a sufficient amount of medicine has been injected into the medicine tank 104 by the replenishment detection section 33, and notifies the user 402 of this by the manipulator 401.

Further, the drone system 500 may notify the user through the manipulator 401 so that the lid of the medicament canister 104 is closed or the lock of the lid is further locked after the injection is completed.

When the replenishment detection unit 33 detects that the replenishment of the medicine in the medicine tank 104 is completed, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to the flight start standby state (S4).

As described above, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 for aerial seeding can densely seed the farm with the chemical, therefore, a higher concentration of chemical is mounted than a general chemical which is sprayed from the ground by a ground sprayer or by the user himself. That is, the pharmaceutical composition is expensive compared with general pharmaceutical compositions, and may be harmful to human bodies and farms. Therefore, it is not preferable in terms of cost and safety to discharge the medicine by the exhaust operation. According to the present configuration in which the medicine is replenished in addition to the air discharge operation by water, the amount of the medicine discharged from the nozzle 103 can be suppressed in the medicine preparation state (S3), and therefore, the present configuration is particularly useful for the application of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100.

The flight start standby state (S4) is a state in which a flight start instruction from the user 402 can be input. The flight start instruction is an instruction for causing the user 402 to take off the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. As shown in fig. 11, when the flight start instruction receiving unit 51 receives the flight start instruction, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to a takeoff diagnosis state in which necessary takeoff diagnosis is performed before the takeoff of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 (S5).

The takeoff diagnosis state (S5) is a state in which the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is safely flown before the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 starts to fly and the chemical is sprayed, and the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 is in a state in which it is diagnosed whether or not the conditions for performing the chemical spraying are complete.

As shown in fig. 13, the takeoff diagnostic state (S5) includes an unmanned plane determination state (S51), a flight plan confirm state (S52), an external environment determination state (S53), a position and periphery confirm state (S54), and a hover state (S55). The unmanned aerial vehicle determination state (S51), the flight plan confirmation state (S52), the external environment determination state (S53), and the position and periphery confirmation state (S54) are states in which the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 lands, and the hover state (S55) is a state in which the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 hovers over the departure arrival point 406 after taking off.

The unmanned aerial vehicle determination state (S51) is a state in which the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 is determined by the unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit 53 as being operated in a normal range for each component of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 itself. In the unmanned plane determination state (S51), the visual inspection of the unmanned plane 100 by the user 402 is prompted by the body visual inspection unit 59. When the unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit 53 determines that each component operates within the normal range, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to the flight plan checking state (S52). When the unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit 53 confirms that the vehicle is abnormal, the manipulator 401 displays the result, and the state is shifted to the standby state after landing (S7).

The flight plan checking state (S52) is a state to which the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 belongs while the flight plan checking unit 52 checks whether or not the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 normally holds information on the flight plan of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. If it is determined that the information related to the flight plan is available, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 transitions to the external environment determination state (S53). In the case where the information related to the flight plan is not normally held, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 performs an operation of obtaining the information related to the flight plan. The action may receive this information, for example, from the attendant support cloud 405. When the user 402 needs to perform a decision such as a designation of a farm for dispensing a medicine, the operator 401 notifies the user 402 of the decision, and prompts the decision.

The external environment determination state (S53) is a state to which the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 belongs during a period in which the external environment determination unit 54 mainly determines whether or not the external environment of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is an environment suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. When the external environment determination unit 54 determines that the external environment is suitable for flight, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to a position and surrounding area confirmation state (S54).

If the external environment determination unit 54 determines that the external environment is not suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 stands by while maintaining the landing. This meaning is displayed on the manipulator 401. Since the external environment is a factor that fluctuates drastically in a short time, it is preferable to wait for the external environment to be suitable for the flight, instead of switching to another state.

The position and surrounding confirmation state (S54) is a state to which the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 belongs while the position and orientation of the base station 404 and the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and the surrounding environment of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 are confirmed by the base station position confirmation unit 55, the body position confirmation unit 56, the head confirmation unit 57, and the surrounding confirmation unit 58.

In the position and periphery check state (S54), if the positions and orientations of the base station 404 and the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and the surrounding environment of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 are checked, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 takes off, and the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to the hover state (S55).

The hovering state (S55) is a state to which the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 belongs while the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is performing diagnosis and preparation for safe flight accompanied by horizontal movement by the flight preparation unit 60. In the hovering state (S55), the strong wind diagnosis section 61 diagnoses whether or not the wind blowing the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is of a degree that can allow the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 to fly. The diagnosis of strong wind may be performed by the external environment determination unit 54. The thrust diagnosis unit 62 determines that the rotor 101 has exerted a desired thrust. The correction unit 63 performs correction of at least one of a sensor for measuring the height of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and a sensor for measuring the speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. The weight estimating unit 64 estimates the weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100.

The preparation in the hovering state (S55) is a step necessary or easy to measure when the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is in the air. However, it may be configured to make these preparations in landing. For example, the offset of the sensor for measuring the altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and the offset of the sensor for measuring the speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 can be corrected during landing. In addition, the determination and confirmation performed in the unmanned plane determination state (S51), the flight plan confirmation state (S52), and the external environment determination state (S53) may be performed in hovering instead of landing. In particular, it may also be determined in hover whether the number of satellites that establish communication for GPS is sufficient. In addition, it is also possible to perform both in landing and hovering.

In addition to the above, in the takeoff diagnostic state (S5), the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 may prompt the user 402 to confirm and input information that the user 402 has confirmed as one condition for the state transition.

The drone system 500 may confirm the power capacity of the emergency manipulator in the takeoff diagnostic state (S5). This is because, when the power supply capacity of the emergency manipulator is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, an emergency stop command cannot be transmitted in the flight spread state (S6), and the safety may be impaired. When the power supply capacity of the emergency manipulator is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the operator 401 displays the result, and the user 402 is prompted to take measures such as replacement of the battery of the emergency manipulator. The same applies to the power supply capacity of the manipulator 401 itself.

In the present embodiment, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500, upon receiving the flight start command, transitions to the unmanned aerial vehicle determination state (S51), transitions to the flight plan confirmation state (S52) upon determining that the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 itself is the normal range in the unmanned aerial vehicle determination state (S51), transitions to the external environment determination state (S53) upon confirming that the flight plan is stored in the flight plan confirmation unit 52 in the flight plan confirmation state (S52), transitions to the position and surrounding confirmation state (S54) upon determining that the external environment is suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 in the external environment determination state (S53), transitions to the position and surrounding confirmation state (S54) upon confirming that the positions and orientations of the base station 404 and the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and the surrounding environment of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 are the normal range in the position and surrounding confirmation state (S54), transitions to the hover state (S55), and transitions to the flight broadcasting state (S6) upon confirming that the respective diagnoses and corrections are normal in the hover state (S55), and starts the horizontally moving flight. The order of the unmanned plane determination state (S51), the flight plan confirmation state (S52), the external environment determination state (S53), and the position and periphery confirmation state (S54) is different. In addition, the flight plan confirmation state (S52) may be omitted.

Upon receiving the flight start command, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 causes the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 to take off at least after transitioning to the take-off diagnostic state (S5). Since the take-off diagnosis state (S5) is provided after the start-of-flight command and before take-off, it is possible to reliably detect an abnormality occurring in other works such as injection of a chemical, and therefore it is possible to ensure high safety compared with a constitution in which diagnosis is performed at other timings and a constitution in which diagnosis is not performed.

After taking off and transitioning to the hover state (S55), the drone system 500 starts flying with the horizontal movement of the drone 100. In the hovering before the start of the horizontal movement, the configuration having the steps of diagnosing and correcting the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 can also be adopted, and safer and more accurate medicine dispensing can be performed.

The flight spread state (S6) is a state to which the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 belongs during the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and the medicine spread to the farm. The flying spread state (S6) includes a flight accompanied by a horizontal movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. In addition, hovering is also possible during the fly-spreading state (S6). In hovering in the flying-broadcasting state (S6), diagnosis and correction as described in the hovering state (S55) may be performed. In this diagnosis, when strong wind is detected to be blown to the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 performs a back-off action described later. Further, when the thrust of the motor 102 and the rotor 101 is not within a desired range, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 also performs the retraction operation. When a deviation between a true value and a measured value is detected by correction during hovering in a flying-broadcasting state (S6), the values are corrected and the flying is continued. Further, the weight is estimated during hovering in the flying-scattering state (S6). Since the chemical is spread in the flying spread state (S6), the weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 changes according to the spread. Therefore, the value of the estimated weight in suspension in the flying scattering state (S6) can be used for estimating the amount of medicine in the medicine tank 104. If the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 lands, the operation shifts to a standby state after landing (S7).

In the flight spread state (S6), when an emergency stop command is transmitted by the manipulator 401 or the emergency manipulator, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 takes a back-off action. The retraction action includes, for example, "emergency return" in which the vehicle immediately moves to a predetermined return point along the shortest route. The predetermined return point is a point stored in advance in the flight control unit 23 (flight controller 501), and is, for example, a departure arrival point 406. The departure arrival point 406 is, for example, a land point where the user 402 can approach the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, and the user 402 can check the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 that has arrived at the departure arrival point 406 or manually transport it to another place.

In addition, the backoff action includes a landing action. The "landing operation" includes "normal landing" in which a normal landing operation is performed, "emergency landing" in which the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is lowered and landed faster than the normal landing, and "emergency stop" in which all the rotary wings are stopped and the unmanned aerial vehicle is lowered downward from the position. The "emergency landing" includes not only an operation of landing at a place which is lowered faster than the normal landing and which is similar to the case of performing the normal landing with the same attitude control, but also an operation of establishing landing even if the attitude control is low in accuracy and the attitude is slightly deformed. As a specific example, by slowly and uniformly reducing the rotational speeds of all motors, the motors can be lowered and landed with high accuracy without being directly lowered.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 receives the power supply capacity of the manipulator 401 from the manipulator 401 at least in the flying spread state (S6). The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 takes a backoff action when the power capacity of the manipulator 401 is given or less. If the power supply capacity of the manipulator 401 is reduced, a command related to the flight of the user 402 cannot be transmitted to the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, and the safe flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 becomes difficult. Therefore, when the power supply capacity of the manipulator 401 is reduced, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 can be caused to take a back-off action even when the capacity of the battery 502 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is sufficient.

Similarly, when the power supply capacity of the emergency manipulator is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may be caused to take a back-off action.

Upon receiving the emergency stop command from the manipulator 401 or the emergency manipulator, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to an emergency stop state (S11). The unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 receives the emergency stop command and transmits, to the manipulator 401, reception information indicating that the emergency stop state is shifted (S11). According to this configuration, the user 402 can know through the display of the manipulator 401 that the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 has transitioned to the emergency stop state according to the intention of the user 402 (S11).

The standby state after landing (S7) is a state to which the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 belongs during preparation for a switching operation after landing. The standby state after landing (S7) is a state in which the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is in a landing state and can be shifted to a plurality of states based on an operation instruction from the user 402.

In the standby state after landing (S7), when an operation instruction to switch the farm on which the medicine is to be sprayed is received from the user 402, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 transitions to the flight start standby state via the specified farm switching route (D) (S4).

In the standby state after landing (S7), when an operation instruction to perform maintenance is received from the user 402, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to the maintenance state (S8).

In the standby state after landing (S7), when an operation instruction for replenishing the medicine is received from the user 402, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to the medicine preparation standby state (S2).

According to the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 having the standby state after landing (S7), even when the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 having finished the medicine dispensing on one farm continues the medicine dispensing and the medicine replenishment on another farm, the operation can be smoothly shifted to the following operation. Specifically, when switching the farm and replenishing the medicine, the system can be directly shifted to the flight start standby state (S4) and the medicine preparation standby state (S2) without going through other states such as the shutdown state (S9), the stop state (S0), the initial inspection state (S1), and the like.

The maintenance state (S8) is a state to which the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 belongs during maintenance of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 itself by the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. The maintenance includes, for example, an operation of automatically cleaning the outer frame of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. When the maintenance in the maintenance state (S8) is completed, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to the shutdown state (S9).

The off state (S9) is a state to which the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 belongs during a period from when the mutual connection of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the manipulator 401, and the base station 404 is released until the power supply of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the manipulator 401, and the base station 404 is turned off.

As shown in fig. 14, the shutdown state (S9) includes an unmanned plane state (S91) and other terminal shutdown states (S92).

The unmanned plane state (S91) is a state to which the unmanned plane system 500 belongs during preparation required for power off, that is, power off, of the unmanned plane 100 until the unmanned plane 100 is turned off. In the unmanned plane state (S91), the unmanned plane 100 stores the information stored in the first state storage unit 115 in a nonvolatile storage unit. Further, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 transmits the information stored in the first state storage unit 115 to the crew support cloud 405 through the first state transmission unit 111.

The unmanned plane 100 releases the connection with the manipulator 401 and the base station 404, and releases the cooperation with the respective constituent elements. Further, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is turned off.

If the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is turned off, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to the other terminal off state (S92). Here, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is the main terminal, the main terminal is transferred to another component, for example, the manipulator 401, in response to the shutdown of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100.

For the transfer of the master terminal, the manipulator 401 may be determined as the master terminal by the first master terminal determining unit 114 before the shutdown of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100. The second master terminal determination unit 414 may determine the manipulator 401 as the master terminal by detecting the power interruption of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100.

The other terminal off state (S92) is a state to which the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 belongs during the period until the manipulator 401 and the base station 404 are turned off. The manipulator 401 and the base station 404 can transmit information stored in the second and third state storage sections 415, 445 to the service farming support cloud 405 via the second and third state transmission sections 411, 441, respectively.

When all of the drone 100, manipulator 401, and base station 404 are powered off, the drone system 500 stops. That is, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to the stopped state (S0).

In the medicine preparation state (S3) or the takeoff diagnosis state (S5), if it is detected that the battery capacity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 transitions to the standby state after landing via the battery shortage route (C) (S7). When the battery capacity is equal to or less than a given value in the standby state after landing (S7), the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to the shutdown state (S9), and the battery 502 is in the exchangeable state.

When the medicine in the medicine tank 104 is detected to be equal to or smaller than a predetermined value in the medicine preparation state (S3) or the standby state after landing (S7), the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 shifts to the medicine preparation standby state via the medicine shortage route (B) (S2). When the medicine preparation state (S3), that is, the state in which the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is landed, detects that the medicine in the medicine tank 104 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the state can be shifted to the medicine preparation standby state (S2) before the take-off. When the medicine tank 104 is sufficiently filled with the medicine in the medicine preparation state (S3), the possibility of the medicine being exhausted in the flight spread state (S6) of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is high. Accordingly, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 transitions to the standby state after landing (S7) after landing from the flying/scattering state (S6), and then transitions to the medicine preparation standby state (S2). In this way, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 500 can detect the shortage of the medicine and transition from two different states to the medicine preparation standby state (S2), and therefore can smoothly transition to the next state even in the case of the shortage of the medicine without performing redundant state transition.

According to the unmanned aerial vehicle system of the present invention in which the unmanned aerial vehicle, the manipulator, the base station, and the farming support cloud are connected to each other and operate cooperatively, even when the connection between any one of the components and the other components is cut off, the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle system can be maintained and the operation as the unmanned aerial vehicle system can be continued smoothly.

In the present description, the agricultural chemical dispensing unmanned aerial vehicle is described as an example, but the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to all unmanned aerial vehicles. In particular, the present invention can be applied to an unmanned plane that performs autonomous flight.

(technically significant effects of the present invention)

The unmanned aerial vehicle system according to the present invention can provide an unmanned aerial vehicle system that can maintain high safety even when flying autonomously.

(additionally remembered)

Hereinafter, effects of other structural features in the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The unmanned aerial vehicle determination section 53 may compare the orientation and the direction of the gravitational acceleration vector, and determine whether or not it falls within a given value. The attitude is, for example, a roll angle and a pitch angle.

The external environment determination unit 54 may check whether or not the reception sensitivity of the GNSS signal is sufficient. The external environment determination unit 54 may check whether or not the GNSS doppler velocity can be received. The external environment determination unit 54 may check whether the RTK-GNSS is fix, in other words, whether the RTK-GNSS is fixed.

The external environment determination unit 54 may check whether the GNSS compass is fix, in other words, whether the GNSS compass is fixed. The external environment determination unit 54 may check whether or not data arrives from the GNSS module.

The unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit 53 can confirm whether or not the distance between the base station 404 and the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 that coordinate operations is within a predetermined distance.

The unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit 53 may check whether or not the sensor mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 can normally communicate with the flight controller 501. For example, the unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit 53 checks whether or not the communication with the acceleration sensor, the angular velocity sensor (the acceleration sensor and the angular velocity sensor are included in the 6-axis gyro sensor 505), the air pressure sensor 507, and the magnetic sensor 506 is possible.

The unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit 53 may check whether the difference between the multiplexed sensors is within a given difference. For example, regarding each direction of XYZ of the acceleration sensor, a difference between the values of the main sensor and the sub sensor may be calculated, and whether the calculated value is within a predetermined value may be checked. In addition, it is also possible to check whether or not the difference between the measured values of the main sensor and the sub sensor of the air pressure sensor is within a given value. Further, regarding each direction of XYZ (roll/pitch/yaw) of the angular velocity sensor, a difference in the values of the main sensor and the sub sensor may be calculated, and whether the difference is within a given value may be checked.

The unmanned aerial vehicle determination section 53 or the external environment determination section 54 may check the value of the acceleration sensor in at least one of the landing state and the hovering state. For example, it is checked whether the values in the X direction and the Y direction of the main acceleration sensor are within a given value. If the given value is exceeded, normal take-off may be more difficult considering the reasons that the sensor is abnormal, the range of the sensor is set abnormal, or the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is placed in an inclined place. In addition, it is checked whether the value of the Z direction of the main acceleration sensor is within a given range. When the range exceeds the predetermined range, there are cases where normal take-off is difficult, considering such reasons as abnormality of the sensor, abnormality of the range setting of the sensor, or extreme inclination of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100.

The unmanned aerial vehicle determination section 53 or the external environment determination section 54 may check whether or not the angular velocity in the XYZ direction of the angular velocity sensor is within a given value in at least one of the landing state and the hovering state. In the case where the given value is exceeded, rotation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 or large deviation may occur.

The unmanned aerial vehicle determination section 53 or the external environment determination section 54 may check whether the height calculated by the air pressure sensor 507 is within a given range. If the range exceeds the given range, the air pressure sensor 507 may be abnormal or may be set at a high altitude where the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is unsuitable for flight.

The unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit 53 or the external environment determination unit 54 may check whether the magnitude of the geomagnetic sensor vector is within a given value. If the given value is exceeded, an abnormality of the magnetic sensor 506, an abnormality of the range setting of the magnetic sensor 506, or a strong magnetic environment where the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is unsuitable for flight may be caused.

The unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit 53 may check whether the estimated value of the velocity vector is within a given value.

The drone determination unit 53 may check whether the battery 502 is mounted appropriately. The drone determination unit 53 may check whether or not the remaining battery level is equal to or greater than a given value.

When the battery 502 is duplicated, the unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit 53 may check whether or not two batteries 502 are mounted and the flight controller 501 can communicate with the two batteries 502. In addition, it may be checked whether the difference in the margins of the two batteries 502 is within a given value. Further, it may be checked whether the voltage difference of the two batteries 502 is within a given value. Further, in addition, it may be checked whether a rod body fixing the two batteries 502 to the main body is locked.

The unmanned aerial vehicle determination unit 53 may check a component related to the drug dispensing, that is, a dispensing system. For example, it may be checked whether the medicament canister 104 is filled with sufficient medicament. In addition, it is possible to check whether the configuration of the pump 106, the three-way valve 122, and the dispensing system of the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4 can communicate with the flight controller 501.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 has a memory that records a log in operation. The drone determination unit 53 may check whether or not there is a free space equal to or larger than a predetermined value in the log area.

Claims

1. A unmanned aerial vehicle system in which a manipulator and an unmanned aerial vehicle are communicably connected and act in coordination with each other,

the unmanned aerial vehicle is provided with:

a flight control unit;

An external environment determination unit that determines whether or not the external environment of the unmanned aerial vehicle is suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle; and

a flight plan storage unit that stores information related to a flight plan including a flight route generated based on a flight area selected by a user,

the unmanned aerial vehicle system diagnoses whether or not the unmanned aerial vehicle system is configured to operate in a normal range, stores information related to the flight plan in the flight plan storage unit, takes off the unmanned aerial vehicle when the unmanned aerial vehicle system is judged to be normal in the diagnosis and the external environment judgment unit judges that the external environment is suitable for flight,

the unmanned aerial vehicle system determines whether or not the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle system operates in a normal range, confirms whether or not information related to the flight plan is stored in the flight plan storage unit when it is determined that the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle system is in the normal range, determines whether or not an external environment is suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle when it is determined that the flight plan is stored in the flight plan storage unit, and starts the take-off operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle when it is determined that the external environment is suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle,

And determining whether the external environment is suitable for flying by using the geomagnetic sensor of the external environment determination part.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle system of claim 1, wherein,

when the external environment determination unit determines that the external environment is not suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle remains on standby while landing, and reports the situation to at least one of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the manipulator.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle system of claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the unmanned aerial vehicle system determines whether or not the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle system operates in a normal range when receiving a flight start command from a user, determines whether or not an external environment is an environment suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle when determining that the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle system is in the normal range, and starts the take-off operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle when determining that the external environment is suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle system of claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the unmanned aerial vehicle system confirms whether communication between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the manipulator is normally performed, and when the unmanned aerial vehicle system determines that the communication is normal in the confirmation, the unmanned aerial vehicle is allowed to take off.